Ask PG: An essay on how to evaluate startups for prospective employees

I made an Ask HN post here about a year and a half ago titled "How should I evaluate a startup as I job hunt?"

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4340196

PG expressed interest in writing an essay on how potential employees should go about evaluating startups, especially on distinguishing 'true Bill Gateses from mere good talkers'. (If this already exists, I have overlooked it. Please let me know).

I think such an essay would be great to motivate engineers at Big Corps who are considering making the leap into the start up world. I know I could have used something like this myself.

But maybe the range of startups and the breadth of potential employees is too large to be generalized.

2 comments

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rvivek 12y ago ↗

Somewhere he mentioned on how to consider working for a startup. If you have $xM would you consider investing in it?

oldbuzzard 12y ago ↗

That's a good metric... but often investors have more information on the start-up that potential employees.

This is the purpose of asking your own questions about the company in interviews... but I think there will always be more information asymmetry for potential employees than for potential investors.

Also investors can spread risks in ways that employees can't. Depending on your risk tolerance this may also change your judgements.

However, if you think its a bad investment, then you certainly shouldn't work there.